The yoghurt industry is to get a new promotional body to promote the versatility and nutritional benefits of yoghurt.

The Yogurt Council will be funded by Danone, Emmi, Nestlé, Müller and Yoplait, which together hold two-thirds of the UK yoghurt market, by volume.

It was born out of the Provision Trade Federation’s Yogurt & Short Life Dairy Products Committee, and the council is based at the PTF’s offices.

Headed up by director Jo Sweetman, a registered nutritionist, the council would provide “authoritative advice” about yoghurt to promote category growth, it said.

A website, loveyogurt.org, will host information about yoghurt’s heritage, its nutritional profile and will provide links to the latest academic research.

The council’s work would be aimed at consumers, healthcare professionals and journalists, said Sweetman.

There were no targets in terms of increasing sales, instead the council’s focus would be “very much around increasing the knowledge base,” she added.

Lobbying work and consultation responses will continue to be handled by Dairy UK and the Dairy Council.

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